1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brake pad assembly and more particularly to a brake pad assembly with a heat sink.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 illustrates a conventional brake pad assembly 8 which generally includes a backing plate 80, a brake lining 81 disposed on a side of the backing plate 80, and a heat dissipating portion 82 disposed on an opposite side of the backing plate 80. As shown in FIG. 8, the brake pad assembly 8 along with an opposed brake pad assembly 9 is mounted on a caliper 7 of a vehicle with a bolt 70 extending through the positioning holes 83, 93 in the backing plates 80, 90. The caliper 7 includes a pair of pistons (not shown) inside the hydraulic cylinders 71, 72, which force the brake linings 81, 91 along with the backing plates 80, 90 toward one another and into contact with a rotor 6 that spins relative to the caliper 7 when the vehicle is moving. When the brake linings 81, 91 are forced into contact with the spinning rotor 6 during braking, the kinetic energy of the rotor 6 is converted into heat. Substantial amount of heat can be generated in the brake linings 81, 91 and transferred to the heat dissipating portion 82 to be removed, so as to avoid brake fade, a decrease in the stopping power of the brake.
However, since the heat dissipating portion 82 of the brake pad assembly 8 is integrally formed on the backing plate 80, the heat dissipating portion 82, even still in good shape, will have to be abandoned with the brake lining 81 if the brake lining 81 is worn out.